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Russell Apiaries...I'm done with them...

So here's been my experience that has lead me to say, "I'm done with Russell Apiaries!!"

1. In April, I emailed them regarding queens. Was told exactly what I needed to do to have them by a certain date.
2. Ordered April 24th for a May 7 shipping.
3. 7th came and went.
4. Emailed on the 11th just to see if they did in fact get shipped. No response.
5. Emailed on the 21st because I knew I would be traveling June 3-10. Was fearful that they might actually ship that week.
6. On the 22nd, I got a response that they would mark for to NOT be shipped that week in June and "how bout next week?"
7. Confirmed that next week would work as long as they were shipped on their customary Monday or Tuesday.
8. On the 29th, I received an email confirmation via PayPal that my package had been shipped Priority Mail 2-3 day. Note: I'm in Alabama. They are in Mississippi. Any Priority that I have received in the past coming from any connecting state has shipped in 2 days, sometimes even one.
9. Each day, there has been no update online as to where my package is when using the tracking number.
10. Stopped by the USPS today to inquire. Was told, that yes, they package my have been confirmed online to have been shipped but, GET THIS, it actually HAS NOT been given to the USPS yet!!!!!

I may be wrong, and there is a side of me that wants to be...but I really feel lied to. I can take delays. They happen. Since I sell a few nucs each spring, I can understand delays. But in this case, it would appear that I have been, knowingly, not told the truth.

I made a couple of splits the other day specifically for these queens. I leave for 8 days tomorrow. At this point, I am expecting to return to a couple of SHB slimed nucs that didn't have to be that way if they had just done what they said they would/were doing.

If it's the case, and it does look to be, then I am DONE with Russell Apiaries...

Re: Russell Apiaries...I'm done with them...

At this point, I just want the queens I ordered. Don't really care about the future. I've made my own queens via the NICOT system for some time. I just wanted to see the Sunkist at work and keep their genetics in some future batches of queens.
I really am sad to see someone with a reputable product unable to run a business well.

Re: Russell Apiaries...I'm done with them...

Same situation here, USPS showed the Queen order sitting in Miss, NOT recieved, and then on Sat. I get a call WHILE I am going to Class, saying "your Queens are here", the tracking still showed that they had not been recieved, I was, let's say, More that miffed! Since I was giving the class, I had to carry the girls with me all day until I could prep some colonies recieve them. The order was 5 weeks late, and on top of the delay the USPS did not scan the package.

Re: Russell Apiaries

Anybody got the number to the bat cave where the light goes on ? Anyone have a update on refunds ? How about passing on one of the select numbers wheres someone picks up a phone ? Shoot me a pm ,,, Id sure be happy to report I got my 400$ back for the undelieverd moonbeams and replacements for the lame sunkist nucs . If ya]all havent caught on yet , spend away .

Re: Russell Apiaries

I have a question -

We know, from the Miss. Dept of Ag. page, that Russell apiaries is not licensed to sell bees or queens in Mississippi.

I have been told (by way of responding to the obvious question of: how can he sell queens from Mississippi if he isn't licensed - through this thread and others on this forum) that Mississippi is simply where the orders are taken, that the queens come from breeding and queen rearing yards from all over the country (this was also the response to the question: how can he have northern acclimated queens if his breeding operation is in Mississippi?).

So, how is it that when he ships - tracking information indicates that the queens are coming from Mississippi (as indicated by at least two posts on this page)? When you order a queen from Russell Apiaries, do they first route it from its origination point through Mississippi and then to the purchaser?

Re: Russell Apiaries

There is no "license to sell bees" in Mississippi. The state has a certificate program stating that your apiaries have been inspected and found clean. That is what they are "certifying". Russell was inspected by the director of the program and he was clean. Why they don't have him on the list, I don't know. The queens are shipped from mating yards to whichever postal hub they use for that region. Russell staff work directly in the postal hubs sorting and packaging queen shipments. I know this because my son is one of them.

Re: Russell Apiaries

Certification of Package Bees and Queen Bees.
104 – All apiaries belonging to packaged bee and queen producers and nuc producers must be inspected annually for brood disease and parasitic mites. Certificates of inspection declaring apparent freedom from contagious bee diseases and parasites shall be attached securely to each lot of packages or queens being shipped. All lots of packaged bees, queens, or nucs being shipped into Mississippi must be accompanied by such a certificate from the state of origin.

Quarantines:
105.09 – It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly purchase, receive or transport bees from quarantined areas or quarantined beekeeping operations whether in-state or out-of-state.

Re: Russell Apiaries

He had the director of the bureau inspect his hives in March. The quarantine was lifted and he was approved. I read the approval letter. The director even said that he didn't see any evidence of any diseases at all. He also noted that there were a lot more hives there than the quarantine order stated. He's approved, why he isn't on the list, I don't know. But he is approved.

Re: Russell Apiaries

OK...so where were the bees shipped from while he was under quarentine in miss?also,where is this research foundation?there's a bunch of us who could benefit from a Q&A session.how come he doesn't open it 1 day a week,for a fee of course,maybe give a 1 day crash beekeeping class

Re: Russell Apiaries

Everyone needs to go to his site start a tread and over whelm the thread with these complaints. Quit going on and on about his pathetic excuse for customer svc. I washed my hands of them last yr. so I don't have that rite but I got his attn last yr when 50 people jumped on the bandwagon.